Between the Lines

If anyone is curious, I don't know much about the art in the piece beyond the artist's name and the titles. I picked them because they were named "I-It" and "I-Thou"...and because I thought they were interesting. If you have some thoughts about the art, I'd love to hear them.

To me, "Twilight" is about disdaining humanity. It could be a comment on the author's (in)ability to write a decent story, but we barely get a focus on the "normal" people in Bella's life and when we do, it's obvious that she has contempt for them (i.e. the description of Mike as a puppy). One would argue that Bella is not in love with Edward, but the ideal that Edward and the Cullens embody (eternal youth, being physically beautiful and strong, etc.).

While I agree that "one does not become fully human painlessly", the problem is that Bella doesn't emotionally change at all during the course of the series. She had no meaningful relationships prior to meeting Edward, so she loses nothing in becoming a vampire. When she has her child, right after she is aware of her vampirism, she and Edward proceed to make the beast with two backs with her in the next room. Bella does not become a fully-realized adult, but rather remains the petulant teenager devoted to her own instant gratification with only a shiny new wrapper.